FICH

Today we would like to share on Uganda’s crisis of children not starting school early. The @palnetworkHQ (2025 report) found over half of Grade 4 pupils were 12+ years old-and these late entry and repetition cases end up pushing many children off-as drop-outs. We Ask: What can be done to ensure children start school early? For full report, see➡️: tinyurl.com/yc4z2mnj

Parents, teachers, and communities must work together to promote positive discipline and protect children from violence. #EndViolenceAgainstChildren

As out-of-school girls, teenage mothers step into the real world, they face irregular income, debt traps, and tough business decisions. Through the Girls Empowerment Initiative, FICH conducted a one-day training session on Financial Literacy, Marketing, and Customer Care. We’re currently empowering 40 girls with hands-on skills in tailoring and hairdressing, while equipping them with the knowledge to save wisely, avoid debt, attract customers, and grow their businesses. This combination is preparing them to face the world with confidence and real economic power, giving them a much better chance at life. The program is also running in 3 other #FICH_GRIC Uganda partner organisations. #GirlEmpowerment #FinancialLiteracy

#FICH_GRICUg Partners are gathered at Graceville Comfort Hotel in Lira City for a three-day residential training on Result Documentation, Tracking, Reporting, and Data Visualisation. The partners are Arua Youth Development Initiative(AYDI), Community Focus International (CFI) and Development Path for Community Transformation (DEPCOT). This training aims to strengthen our data management systems and empower partners to effectively communicate the reach and genuine impacts of our community interventions with data-driven evidence. Patrick Ocen, GRIC Uganda Programme Coordinator, noted: We have been doing a lot as partners, but we sometimes face challenges translating this work and sharing our intervention, outcomes, and impacts with the world.” #DataForImpact #FICHCapacityBuilding

#YouthEmpowerment opportunity

Are you ready to lead change in your community? The GRiC Africa Youth Leadership Program – Cohort VIII is now open for application. 📌 Apply now via this link: forms.gle/8oMxrVjSi3K5tV… ⏳ Deadline: 13th April 2026 Tag a young leader who needs to see this 👇🏾 #ApplyNow

Today, we are delighted to join the life skills learning event organised by the @Educ_SportsUg , Gender mainstream Unit, reflecting on life skills integration in Uganda's education system. Progress made, but challenges remain: teachers seeing life skills as extra work, competing with examinable subjects, lack of trained teachers & resources. Mindset change among teachers is a very key! #LifeSkillsUganda

📌Learner Absenteeism Alert! Where school attendance is lowest, learning outcomes are weakest. Northern and Eastern Uganda regions show this clearly in @UwezoUganda’s national findings. Today we ask: How can we tackle #Absenteeism in our schools? Link to full report: tinyurl.com/ybpk65zd

Children with disabilities are a part of humanity and must not be left behind especially in #Literacy and #Numeracy. About 43% of primary schools in Uganda enrol learners with severe special needs and yet only 14% have a special needs unit, while a dismal one in five receive disability grants. To read more, please find all these in our 2024 @UwezoUganda report: tinyurl.com/ybpk65zd #InclusiveEducation #EducationForAll #SDG4 #LeaveNoChildBehind

🚨What you should know about the upcoming 70th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Founded in 1956, the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) @cies_us is the world’s largest and oldest comparative and international education society, advancing research, publication, dialogue, and professional exchange across education systems worldwide. The Society also marks its 70th anniversary this year (2026). The @cies_us conference will happen in 🧭San Francisco from ⏰28 March–1 April 2026. @UwezoUganda and @ReliAfrica have confirmed their participation, while @alive_programme-linked work and partners will also be represented through life-skills and social-cohesion presentations that carry the East African evidence into global conversations on education, peace, and system reform. For more about the 2026 @cies_us Conference visit: cies.us

In case you will be attending @cies_us 2026 conference, kindly join us on Sun, March 29, 9:45 to 11:00am, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Floor: Ballroom Level, Franciscan C for @alive_programme @ReliAfrica and counterparts panel discussion titled: Building Cohesive Societies Through Education: Systems-Level Approaches to Nurturing 21st-Century Skills for Social Cohesion in Diverse Contexts. Let's continue to advance discussion and knowledge on what it might take to ensure all children, anywhere, acquire the skills and values they need to thrive for a peaceful society. @mizizielimu @MileleZanzibar @LGFnUg @LGIHE1 @EducateOrg @RESCUEorg @DreamADreamInd

If you will be at @cies_us 2026, we warmly welcome you to our @alive_programme @ReliAfrica ‘Whole School pproach to Nurturing Skills, Values and Community Cohesion’ panel discussion taking place on Tue, March 31, 2:45 to 4:00pm, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Floor: Fourth Floor, Union Square 5&6. Ensuring that all children acquire the skills and values they need to thrive for a peaceful society, requires the involvement of the entire school community (headteachers, teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents and the broader community). Come and join the conversation. @mizizielimu @MileleZanzibar @LGFnUg @LGIHE1 @UdsmOfficial

@cies_us 2026 conference is here with exciting sessions! In case you’re attending, please join this pertinent session where @alive_programme @ReliAfrica and counterparts discuss whether ‘Secondary Education is Building the Skills Youth Need for Success Later in Life’, on Sun, March 29, 4:30 to 5:45pm, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Floor: Fourth Floor, Union Square 24. With most countries embracing Competency-based education (CBE), this is a timely conversation to explore school environments most suited to nurturing the skills and competencies young people need to navigate and thrive in this everchanging world. @mizizielimu @EducateOrg @poverty_action @WBG_Education

On #WorldWaterDay celebrated yesterday, @UwezoUganda prompts us-using her 2024 national assessment findings, that boreholes dominate as the main water source for most schools-where 41.5% use it for drinking. Interestingly as well, 30% of schools visited do not treat their drinking water. We should strengthen safe water access for children’s health and learning. Link to report: tinyurl.com/ybpk65zd #WorldWaterDay #SafeWater #SDG6 #SchoolHealth

Today, we conducted our Q1 reflection meeting! We paused to assess progress, focusing on wins, challenges, and areas for improvement. Key areas we tackled: - Highlights of the quarter - Areas needing improvement - Action plans for growth - Priorities for the next phase Reflecting on progress drives success!

Today, we tackle the power for being present for our children, an issue many Ugandan communities and parents grapple with in the face of relentless work schedules that leave almost no time for their children. In these moments, the pressure to provide for family-needs leads to exhaustion, often eroding opportunities for the meaningful interaction children/young people need to build secure relationships, cognitive growth, and emotional intelligence inter alia. By being present as teachers and role models even for short moments; parents can foster connections and learning, despite demanding schedules.. #EducationForAll #ParentingTips #SDG4

#HappeningNow. UwezoUganda is now holding a virtual engagement with the head of partner organisations plus the District Coordinators in an Outcome Harvesting (OH) process. The sessions have initially defined OH in the context of what partners and district systems have been able to change resulting from @UwezoUganda's research and assessment findings. The core for the engagement will broadly hinge around @UwezoUganda Theory of Change (ToC). In addition, the activities will include hands-on sessions to allow participants harvest the observable changes from either the direct or indirect practices.

As we continue our weekend series, @UwezoUganda reminds us that raising children and young people with strong values and life skills is a shared duty that does not pause. This weekend, we continue encouraging parents, schools and communities to keep showing up for the future generation. #LifeSkillsandValues #EducationForAll #SDG4

40 girls completed 3-day Life Skills, Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship training using the Social Emotional Learning(SEL) approach. Participants learned to manage emotions & finances by forming/joining VSLA groups & starting IGAs. The Young Women Economic Empowerment program targets school dropouts & young mothers in Northern Uganda (Kole, Oyam, Arua), offering hands-on training & life skills for a real second chance. Similar sessions took place at CFI & DEPCOT. Program tackles socio-economic barriers from retrogressive cultures, limited opportunities & low literacy. #FICH_GRIC #WomenEmpowerment @gricafrica

In 2025, we at @UwezoUganda together with partners, implemented dialogue sessions for 10 weeks that focused on raising parental awareness, building their capacity, and fostering school-community collaboration to support children and young people in the problem-solving life skill. Today, we ask: How do you normally deal with curious questions from children? To read more about this parental engagement drive, please access the report through this link: tinyurl.com/4pf5k45z OR scan the poster QR Code⬇️.